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Witness History Episodes

  1. Ethiopia's 1984 Famine

    In 1984 Ethiopia suffered one of its worst ever famines - the pictures shocked the world

  2. The Death of Dele Giwa

    In October 1986, the acclaimed Nigerian journalist, Dele Giwa, was assassinated in Lagos

  3. The Coca-Cola Change

    In 1985 the fizzy drinks company changed its secret recipe but the public didn't like it

  4. The Vagina Monologues

    In 1996 the play 'The Vagina Monologues was first performed in New York.

  5. London Dock Strike of 1889

    In 1889 London's despised dockers went on strike. It went on to form the labour movement

  6. The Leipzig Demonstrations

    Mass demonstrations in Leipzig triggered the collapse of communism in East Germany

  7. The Fall of Nikita Khrushchev

    In October 1964 the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev was ousted in a Kremlin coup

  8. The Band that Made The Beatles

    In 1957 Lennon and McCartney performed together for the first time in The Quarrymen

  9. Handing Over Hong Kong

    The negotiations that promised 'One country two systems' when the territory changed hands

  10. How the IPCC was formed

    An international conference in 1985 changed the history of climate change

  11. The Death of Che Guevara

    A prominent figure in the Cuban Revolution, Guevara was captured and killed in Bolivia

  12. God Only Knows

    Celebrating the BBC's love of music with Pharrell Williams, Stevie Wonder and others

  13. The Boer War 1899-1902

    The conflict between white Afrikaner settlers and the British empire in South Africa

  14. Sabotage of Nazi Nuclear Programme

    In October 1942 Norwegian commandos began a series of raids on a heavy water plant

  15. Willie Nelson's Farm Aid

    Country music legend Willie Nelson holds the first benefit concert for American farmers.

  16. Japan's Bullet Train

    In October 1964, Japan launched the fastest train the world had ever seen

  17. The world's first civil union

    In 1989, Denmark became the first country to celebrate same-sex civil unions

  18. The Death of James Dean

    On 30 September 1955 the Hollywood actor, James Dean, crashed his car and died

  19. The Taliban take Kabul

    In September 1996 the Taliban took over the Afghan capital Kabul

  20. The Sinking of the 'Joola' Ferry

    In 2002 the 'Joola' ferry sank off Senegal with the loss of more than 1800 lives

  21. The Cuban Five

    Five Cuban spies were arrested in Miami by the FBI in September 1998

  22. Friends

    The American TV show Friends hits TV screens

  23. The World's First Hand Transplant

    On 23 September 1998, Clint Hallam received the world's first hand transplant

  24. The Overthrow of Bokassa

    On 20 September 1979 the Central African dictator Jean Bedel-Bokassa left power

  25. South Africa invades Lesotho

    South Africa sent 600 soldiers into Lesotho to quell political unrest in September 1998

  26. Los Topos - Mexico's Earthquake Rescuers

    How an earthquake in Mexico City in 1985 led to the creation of an elite rescue group

  27. Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters

    In 1964, author Ken Kesey led a group of friends on a psychedelic road trip across the USA

  28. Lord of the Flies

    It is 60 years since William Golding's acclaimed novel was first published

  29. Rabin and Arafat Shake Hands

    In 1993, the Israeli prime minister and the PLO leader shook hands and made history

  30. Voting Against the War on Terror

    Three days after 9/11 Congresswoman Barbara Lee became the most hated woman in America

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